Tales of Ulaya: Running Dive
by Liena
Summary: Contest 2: Character Development. The true story of the death of Mbauna, daughter of Vitani and mother to my character Liena. One shot.


So I'm in a Lion King-based RP called Ulaya: Time of the Shadowlands. I'll plug shamelessly other than here, but every so often Kat has a fanart contest. Being an incredibly horribly artist, I asked her to hold a fanfic contest along with the fanart one. And since she's awesome, she said yes. So don't worry, Divine Intervention is still my top priority, but I offer to you in the meantime the first in a hopeful series of one-shots.

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Mbauna snarled with rage and struck out at the sinewy adolescent standing before her. The brown-pelted female had a light brown underbelly and tail brush, almost identical to the brown fur and white accents on her daughter. Except she had _his_ tail brush - as gold as the sun. It was a constant and cursed reminder of who she was.

Liena artfully flinched away from the claws, facing her mother with a snarl forming on her lips. Mbauna froze with disbelief as she studied the young female before her. She had raised Liena alone after that cursed male of a mate ran off, and ever since then she had been training her to kill. One day, they would find him - and if Mbauna was too old, then Liena would do the dirty work for her.

Or at least she thought so.

Liena wasn't so keen on those ideas, and recently the tension between mother and daughter had been growing. The growing anger gave way to such spats as these, usually with Mbauna coming out on top. She was the better killer, anyways.

"Liena, you stand still when I move to strike you!" she bellowed. A look of blank amusement crossed Liena's face as she processed her mother's demand. She waited while Mbauna struck again, twisting out of the way at the last possible second. When the elder tried again, Liena grabbed her paw in her jaws and wrenched it at an odd angle.

Pain shot through Mbauna's body and she bellowed with rage, twisting from her daughter's cruel grasp and falling heavily to the ground. Her head smashed against a rock and she lay still. Liena cast a distasteful glare down at the body before stalking off, not feeling the slightest bit guilty.

Not yet, at least.

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Mbauna staggered to her paws hours later, when Mohatu's star was glowing in the sky. She looked up at it then snarled with pain and pawed at her eyes, trying to clear the vision of her daughter's face so twisted. She looked around but failed to find her.

No matter. The demon would show up eventually to gloat over her kill, and Mbauna would be swift to make _her_ lame!

She began to limp into the horizon, growling and muttering to herself as she went. Her eyes were feverish and flitting from side to side, ever on the search for either Liena or that traitorous Taëo. She would love to sink her claws into his egotistical golden face and rip his pretty eyes from his sockets. Ooh, how wonderful that would be...

She shuddered deeply and snarled again, twisting around to face whatever had just touched her. But nothing was there - only Mbauna's over reactive imagination. She looked around, blinking, then began to walk in another direction. She could smell her - she could almost hear the taunting laughter coming from all sides. All sides...

"Come out!"

Her scream died upon the wind and offered no reward for her effort. Liena remained hidden from view, watching from the high branches of a nearby tree. A smug smirk was on her face as she watched the elder slowly sink into insanity. The blow to her head had done the dirty work for Liena - she simply had to watch her mother's death now.

Mbauna bellowed again, running in a tight circle. "Come out, come out, Liena! Come out!" She let loose a crazed laugh before tripping and rolling onto the ground. She lay stunned for a moment, her eyes focused on the sky. Hovering over her was the wicked face, sneering down at her.

She howled and surged forwards, shredding into nothing. There - again! Running!

Mbauna began to follow the fast vanishing figure, her claws gripping into the ground to give her added push. She was closing the gap considerably and quickly, feverish rage pushing her on. She had to teach her daughter a lesson she'd never forget...

As she watched, Liena suddenly jumped into nothingness and plummeted towards the ground. Mbauna barely recognized this place - the gorge! Her shriek echoed through the land as she only increased her speed.

"I'll follow you to hell, Liena! Don't think Death can save you from me!"

She took up her pace a notch, preparing herself for the jump ahead of her. She couldn't hope to reach the other side, but she had to get out far enough to be on top of Liena, so she could die with her claws in her daughter's back. As the gorge yawned before her she sprang off of it, diving into the darkness. She fell with silence until she was close enough to the ground to realize that there was nothing there. Realizing she had been cheated of her desire, she let loose a scream of rage.

Liena listened to the sudden silence after the sickening thud and crack. She could barely see the battered form of her mother, prone at the bottom of the gorge. About her muzzle was the faint hint of a smile, but otherwise she showed no emotion. Festering in her heart was a deep sense of hatred and relief, but even that soon faded.

She turned from the gorge only after the sun had risen. She wanted to make sure that Mbauna never got up again, and had remained until she would feel a sense of murder rush through her. That was Mbauna without a doubt, going to wait for her in whatever afterlife she would end up in. Liena walked slowly from the lip of the grave, strolling casually into the Pridelands with green eyes alight at the prospect of a new life.

And not one hint of remorse, guilt, or misery went with her.


End file.
